Frank Pallone: ‘Monkey court continues’

The New Jersey Democrat famously declared a congressional hearing grilling Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in October was a “monkey court” during an exasperated outburst amid her questioning.

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On Wednesday, Pallone said on MSNBC’s “Politics Nation” that while the website has improved and Americans are getting that Obamacare is a good thing for them, Republican rhetoric remains “absurd.”

“Now that the website works, people realize when they go on it that they can get an affordable policy that covers, you know, almost everything that they need,” Pallone said. “I mean, once they start realizing that, all this Republican rhetoric is just going to be meaningless. But Reverend Al, they keep at it.”

Pallone was discussing a Wednesday hearing featuring Sebelius, during which Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) frustratedly said questioning the secretary was like “talking to the Republic of Korea.”

“The hearing today they tried to — Shimkus was trying to shut up the secretary when she was trying to answer the questions. So, you know, the monkey court continues,” Pallone said. “I mean, they just keep using words like the ‘world is going to collapse’ and all this absurd rhetoric.”

Pallone said Sebelius was explaining how the law works well, but Shimkus didn’t want to hear it.

“She was saying it, but he doesn’t like to hear it, because he’s living in Mars or some other planet and doesn’t understand that this is actually a good bill that’s provided good benefits for an affordable price,” Pallone said.